Food imports drop

The import of food group posted a negative growth of 1.69 percent during the first three quarters of the current financial year, according to data compiled by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics. The country, it said, imported various food commodities costing $3.846 billion during the July 2011-March 2012 period against an import of food items worth $3.912 billion during the same period last year.
According to the data, major commodities which registered a negative growth in import over the past nine months of the current financial year included wheat unmilled 100 percent, sugar 97.77 percent, soyabean oil 26.16 percent, dry fruit and nuts by 0.27 percent.
During the period under review, import of pulses also decreased by 8.52 percent. The import of wheat was recorded at 0 against its last year import of 8,901 tons costing $5.1 million during first three quarters of last year. The import of soyabean oil was recorded at 32,323 tons, costing $41.955 million during the July 2011-March 2012 period against an import of 56,179 tons worth $56.179 million.
Import of milk, cream and milk for infants showed an increase of 6.26 percent during the past nine months, costing $1.21 million. Sugar import also decreased by 97.77 percent during the last nine months of the current fiscal. Its import was recorded at 19,168 tons, valuing $15.126 million against the import of 1,022,143 tons over the same period last years.